1891.] MICEOSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 131 



,J and Leube's Bacterium urea are not identical), and one sarcina 

 that are more or less active in the transformation of fresh into ammoni- 

 acal urine. 



In considering^ the source of the organisms, we find that Pasteur, Van 

 Tieghem, and Leube isolated their germs from decomposed urine. 

 Fliigge does not give the material from which he obtained his micrococcus 

 urea liquefacians. Miquel found the germs he described in the atmos- 

 phere, soil, and water. Pasteur also found his Torula anunoniacale 

 among the germs isolated from the atmosphere. 



In view of these facts, I have confined my investigations thus far 

 principally to those forms of bacteria that are to be found within the 

 healthy urethral canal. The object of such a limit was to determine, 

 if possible, whether or not therie are certain bacteria that are constantly 

 present in this canal which act as exciting agents in the transformation 

 of fresh into ammoniacal urine. If this question can be definitely 

 settled it may be effectual in explaining the causation of certain cases of 

 cystitis which are rapidly developed after the introduction of bougies 

 and catheters. Dr. Ricard (S) finds that if these instruments are made 

 aseptic their introduction is harmless, providing the urethral canal is not 

 infected ; but if the urethral canal is already infected, it must previously 

 be washed with a saturated solution of boric acid in order to avoid a 

 subsequent more or less acute cystitis. It seems reasonable to suppose 

 that if bacteria that are capable of transforming urea into carbonate of 

 ammonia are found constantly within the healthy urethra that this canal 

 as well as the instruments should always be thoroughly disinfected be- 

 fore anv operation is attempted. 



Methods Employed in Collecting and Examining Urine. — 

 The methods employed both in collecting the fresh urine and in its sub- 

 sequent examination are of much importance and worthy of careful con- 

 sideration. The following precautions were rigorously adhered to in col- 

 lecting the fresh liquid : The glans and external urinary meatus were 

 carefully disinfected with either a 5 per cent, solution of carbolic acid or 

 a i-iooo solution of corrosive sublimate. The urine was passed directly 

 into a sterilized Erlenmeyer flask, the mouth of which was previously 

 flamed and the cotton-wool stopper replaced immediately after urina- 

 tion. Care was also taken to avoid dust and currents of air. A few 

 cubic centi'meters were immediately removed from the flask by means 

 of a sterile pipette for a preliminary chemical examination. Only nor- 

 mal acid urine was retained for the bacteriorological examination. 



For the isolation of the germs the well-known Koch gelatine-plate 

 method was employed. Esmarch rolls were at first tried, but on ac- 

 count of the presence of liquefying germs they were abandoned. In 

 several cases a plate culture was made from the fresh urine by adding 

 from :^ to I c. c. of it to a tube of liquitl gelatine by means of a sterilized 

 pipette, and after thoroughly mixing, pouring the gelatine upon sterile 

 glass plates. These were kept at a temperature of 65° to 75° F. These 

 plates tleveloped from one to four colonies, occasionally more, often 

 none at all, showing how comparatively few bacteria there are in freshly 

 voided urine. The flasks were allowed to stand at the ordinary tem- 

 perature (65° to 75'' F.) for from 24 to 4S hours, when the urine became 

 clouded and either neutral or alkaline in reaction. A microscopical ex- 

 amination at this time showed a greater or less number of bacteria 



